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Gem Granites founder R Veeramani (84) and his associates M Shanthi (60) and her husband Mahendra Simhan (63) were detained under the Goondas Act on October 1 in connection with multiple cases of alleged sexual abuse of minor girls.
The three were arrested on August 29. Veeramani is accused of sexually assaulting minor girls. Shanthi and Mahendran are alleged to have abetted the crimes. They were remanded to judicial custody and lodged at the Puzhal Central Prison. The preventive detention orders were issued on October 1.
The case first came to light after a child rights activist submitted a complaint to Chennai police on October 6, 2025, along with a pen drive containing video footage showing Veeramani sexually abusing a minor girl at Shanthi and Mahendra’s rental residence.
The FIR was registered on October 7, 2025. Ganesan (42), a long-time employee of Veeramani's Gem Granites, was also arrested in connection with the case.
The investigation initially faced scrutiny after Chennai police filed a 'further action dropped' report before the Special Court for POCSO cases in February 2026, seeking to close the case.
The court rejected the closure report and directed the police to conduct further investigation. The subsequent probe led to the identification of several alleged survivors and the arrest of Veeramani and his associates.
The Chennai Police also said four cases have so far been registered against Veeramani and the other accused based on complaints from minor girls and their relatives and added that they are continuing to receive complaints which are under investigation.
To receive information about the affected minor girls, the police have introduced a WhatsApp helpline, 93453 19676. Five pieces of information received through the number have been identified as useful leads and are being verified, the police said.
The case triggered questions over the initial handling of the complaint, following which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted by the Director General of Police (DGP). Then Chennai Police Commissioner Arun and Additional Commissioner Kannan were subsequently placed under compulsory wait.
On September 30, the Madras High Court declined to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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